Effectiveness of physiotherapy resources in knee osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled trial with therapeutic exercise, ear acupuncture and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation.

Effectiveness of physiotherapy resources on pain, quantitative physical functional and self related physical function in women with knee osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled trial with therapeutic exercise, ear acupuncture and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation

Status

Recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ANZCTR

Registry ID

ACTRN12610000232033

Enrollment

Registered

2010-03-19

Start date

2010-03-15

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2020-01-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

None listed

Brief summary

Objective: Evaluate the effect comparatively, between a protocol of individualized therapeutic exercises with ear acupuncture and the transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) with the aim to improve pain and functional performance of volunteers with OA in the knee. Desing: A single-blinded randomized clinical trial Subjects: 30 women with knee osteoarthritis (age above 18 years) randomized to intervention group (10 women in each group) and to control group (10 women) Interventions: Both intervention groups had 12 sessions of therapeutic exercise 3 times per week (4 weeks). One intervention group will be submitted a 12 sessions of TENS application before therapeutic exercise sessions for 40 minutes with conventional parameters. The other intervention group will have four sessions of ear acupuncture once in week before therapeutic exercise. The control group will maintain usual rehabilitation therapy with therapeutic exercise during the total period of intervention (4 weeks). Main Measures: Women will be assessed with Western Ontario and MacMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) in pain and self-reported physical function domains before and after intervention, and after one month follow up. The step test was also used as a quantitative physical function measure before and after intervention, and after one month follow up.

Interventions

One intervention group will receive transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) application before therapeutic exercise. This stimulation will last 40 minutes, and will be carried out 3 times per week, in a total of 4 weeks. Conventional TENS parameters will be used. The other intervention group will have ear acupuncture sessions before therapeutic exercise. This therapy will be carried out once a week, in a total of 4 weeks, and each session will last 15 minutes. Conventional puncture ear points will be used. Both intervention groups will have therapeutic exercise after the specific therapy intervention of each group. Therapeutic exercise sessions will last 40 minutes and will be carried out 3 times per week, in a total of 4 weeks.

Study design

Allocation

Randomised controlled trial

Intervention model

Parallel

Primary purpose

Treatment

Masking

Blinded (masking used)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

To participate in the study, subjects should be women with clinical diagnose of knee osteoarthritis according to American College of Rheumatology. Besides they should have felt any pain in their knee for the last 6 months and 14 days previously allocation in this study.

Exclusion criteria

Subjects were excluded if they had history of lower extremity surgery with or not prosthesis, any type of drug abuse, corticoid application in the last 3 months, neurologic disease or another orthopaedic and rheumatic affection. Besides subjects were excluded if they were unable to attend the number of treatment sessions established by researchers previously, or missed two treatment sessions, sequentially.

Outcome results